Unlikely Advances
by GohanRules
Summary: Why is Hotstreak acting so weird? He's turning over a new leaf, wants to be friends with Richie, and being...nice? What is happening?  YAOI!  Please Review!
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: Ok so here my second story here on Fanfiction. This one's one of my favorite pairings ever! Well anyways, I hope you like it. I'm most likely gonna make this a multi chapter just kuz I love it so much ^_^. So read and PLEASE tell me what you think.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Static Shock, you'd have to lock your room and turn off the lights while watching it ;) lol.

**Warning:** Obviously this has yaoi/slash. If you don't know what that is…look it up! LOL no flames please! XD

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Richie had been walking down the streets of Dakota for almost half an hour. He'd had the lingering feeling of being watched all day. Today he met Virgil at Burger Fool for lunch and then went to the arcade for some rest and relaxation. Working part-time as a superhero and fulltime as a student sure could be overwhelming. Luckily it was Saturday, which meant no school, minimal crime, and of course the new Space Zombies game was coming out downtown. Richie had been saving up for this new game for about a month and has been extremely excited to play. Of course, first he had to shake off whomever it was that was following him.

_'Oh man. This is useless. I might as well see who it is and just ask what they want. Besides, I'm Gear; no common thief can stop me.'_ Even as he was thinking it, Richie had his doubts. After all, sure he was extremely smart, but a genius IQ can't protect him from a sharp knife. Regardless of this, Richie steeled his nerves and spun on his heel.

"Ok I know you've been f-following me, so j-just come out!" yelled the blond as he tried to still his shaking fists. Out from behind a dumpster he saw the last person he wanted to see.

"Hotstreak?" said the blond through clenched teeth. He was _not_ in the mood to deal with the egotistical pyromaniac right now. He just wanted to go home and kick zombie butt. Why did stuff always happen to him? First he gets kidnapped by Ebon to get to Static, then he gets kidnapped by Ebon _again_, and now who knows what his past bully and present rival will do.

"Uhh...c-call me Francis," mumbled the fiery redhead. He seemed to be more nervous than Richie as his feet quivered beneath him. Richie raised an eyebrow at the strange behavior but chose to ignore it.

"Right...well what do you want _Francis_?" said the blonde venomously.

"N-nothing much. I just wanted to know if you had any plans tomorrow?" stuttered the bang baby as he sheepishly rubbed his neck and stared down at his shoes. Again, Richie was stupefied as to why Hotstreak would ask such a question, but replied nonetheless.

"What do you care? It's not like you to ask if I'm free for a beating," came the blond's brutal reply. He was really starting to get ticked off.

Francis flinched at the words spoken to him. He knew this wasn't going to be easy but he didn't think the cheery blond had it in him to speak with such hatred in his words. He was starting to think this wasn't such a good idea anymore.

_'No. I can't give up now!'_ he thought as he took a deep breath and tried to manage the calmest voice he could.

"No it's not like that. I just wanted to see if you wanted to…hang out tomorrow?" he let out as he exhaled the breath he was unknowingly holding in. He felt a lot better now that he said what he needed to say. Richie on the other hand was bewildered by the words he had just heard. His jaw hung open comically as he stared at the figure in front of him. The lack of answer was enough to revive the redhead's nerves as he tried his hardest not to run away in embarrassment.

"You know what? Forget I s-said anything. I was j-just joking. You should've seen the look on your face F-Foley." quickly replied the pyro as he turned to leave. His movements were halted by a light yet firm hold on his shoulder, yet he chose not to look back.

Richie took a hard look at his once school bully. For someone who used to mercilessly thrash on him every day while calling him cruel names, he sure was acting weird. He would have never thought Hotstreak, or Francis as he requested to be called now, would _ever_ want to hang out with him. Then again, he had seen some changes happening in the former gang member. Hotstreak hasn't made an "appearance" around Dakota for quite some time now; a fact that had both Static and Gear suspicious. Also, the Francis Stone Richie knew wouldn't have been so nervous and shy over anything. And even he had to admit that if there were any intentions of hurting the blond, Francis would have done it by know.

As Richie's complex mind was putting all this evidence together in hopes of coming to a conclusion about Francis, said redhead was trying hard not to be affected by the delicate grasp still on his shoulder. Francis had his eyes closed as he leaned into the touch of the oblivious blond. He blushed as he was brought back to life by Richie's soft voice.

"U-um…maybe we can…g-go get a burger or something?" Richie asked innocently as his cheeks heated up. Francis' eyes widened as he spun around quickly to face the blond.

"Really? You're not just jerking off my chain?" asked an overexcited Francis as he beamed down at the younger teen. Richie had to shake his head at the inappropriate thoughts that stirred due to Francis' innocent yet thought provoking mistake. He beamed back up at the ex-criminal and answered his question.

"_Jerking_ your chain not_ jerking off_ your chain…and yes I'm serious," replied Richie. Francis was lost for words as he bent down and picked up the small blonde without thinking and bear hugged him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," chanted Francis as he held a suffocating Richie tightly in his embrace.

"Your…welcome Francis. Now can you…let go?" came the high pitched squeak from between two muscular arms. Francis instantly dropped the small blond and mumbled as he mumbled an apology. Richie took a deep breath as he waved off the apology.

"So…tomorrow then? Burger Fool?" shyly asked the taller of the two.

"Sure. I'll see you there at noon," amusedly answered Richie. Francis once again smiled brightly as he nodded. He looked down at the cheap plastic watch on his right wrist and cursed under his breath.

"Sorry, but I really gotta go. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Bye," said a panicky Francis as he turned and started walking away.

"Ok. It's a date then," yelled Richie at the retreating figure. He blushed as he realized the words that had just come out of his mouth.

_'Today sure has been eventful. I wonder how Virgil will take the news that I just became friends with our archenemy.'_ Thought the teen as he made his way downtown to buy his copy of Space Zombies 3. Maybe a new game could keep his mind off of all the drama he felt was about to occur.

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**So what do you think? Do you love it? Hate it? Think it needs work? Either way plz review :DDD I'd like to know why. Also, if you like it you can expect the second chapter sometime by Monday probably.**

**-GohanRules out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! As promised, here is chapter two to "Unlikely Advances". Sorry it's so short, but I promise I'll make up for it in either the next chapter o the one after that (I haven't decided which ones gonna be the "date" chapter). Uhh…overall, I'm not so happy with this chapter, but again, I WILL make it up to you.

Thanks so much to everyone reading this and special thanks to wellhello2u2 and CobleynauRisen for reviewing. Your inputs were very helpful and I hope you keep reviewing and help me more :D.

**Disclamer: **I do NOT own Static Shock. If I did, Hotstreak would always be in his red boxers ^_^

**Warnings:** By now you should know that this is slash/yaoi. Of course, I bet that's why you're all reading this. You little rascals ;)

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It was a quiet Saturday in the city of Dakota. The streets were clouded in silent darkness as the moon shown beautifully overhead. There had been no crime all day, a rare occurrence for this city. In a tan colored, two story home, sat two bored teenagers, both munching on cold pizza casually as if it was a regular occurrence. A groan escaped from the lips of the dark-skinned teen sprawled upside down on the couch, feet dangling from the back and head hanging from the front. This caused the blonde male to raise an eyebrow in question.

"I'm so booreeed. Man, why'd there have to be no bang babies to bust _today_?" asked the ebony male, moving himself to sit upright to look at his partner. The blonde chuckled at his friend's question.

"This coming from Dakota's number one superhero. No crime is a _good_ thing, remember V?" teased the bespectacled blond. The darker boy just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah Richie? Well, I wouldn't have a problem with it if _you_ had bought Space Zombies 3 like you've been saying you would for the past _month_," grumpily stated Virgil. Richie shifted his gaze at his scratched up light blue sneakers with a blush tinting his cheeks.

"Umm…about that Virgil, today after we went to the arcade, I kind of s-," Richie was interrupted b a loud scream from upstairs.

"Hold that thought Richie. Let me see what her highness wants now," annoyingly said Virgil, referencing to Sharon's earlier scream of terror. The blond sighed and weakly smiled at his friend's retreating form.

_'How am I supposed to tell V I'm meeting Francis at Burger Fool tomorrow?'_ Richie mentally groaned and verbally sighed. However, he refocused his attention at a smiling Virgil running down the stairs with a green backpack in his hand. He knew what that meant.

"C'mon Rich. Sharon just saw the news report saying that some bang babies are tearin' up some clothing store by the arcade." explained the ebony teen over excitedly. Richie just laughed at his friend's childishness and waited for Virgil to change so that he could get a ride and get ready himself at their HQ.

_'V has the easy change while I have to strap on a bunch of gadgets on to my body'_ thought the impatient blond.

A bulky figure could be seen running around a scanty apartment, dodging between piles of dirty clothes and greasy plates. The body stopped to turn on the light to the room he just entered. In the room was a small twin sized bed pushed up against a corner, a small measly closet, and several more dinner plated lying around.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit! What am I gonna wear? I need something casual but I can't go looking like a gangster…that's not me anymore," Francis panicked as he stood in front of his closet in nothing but red boxers. Great, now he's starting to sound like a queer.

_ 'Get over yourself man. Like it or not, you are a queer. Say goodbye to getting blowjobs and say hello to giving them,' _Francis rolled his eyes. _'But there's still no way in hell I'm bottom,' _thought the redhead bemusedly. He shook his head in determined frustration as he opened the door to his small closet and looked at its contents. Inside the closet were old t-shirts and jeans. Most of which were wrinkled and _all_ of which were dirty. Francis twitched his nose as he searched through the pile of clothes that had accumulated at the floor of the small compartment space.

"Where is it?" he growled violently. His angry gaze softened as he finally found what he was looking for. From the very bottom of the pile, he pulled out a simple tight-fitting red t-shirt. It was the smallest shirt he had and didn't have a tear on it. He'd only worn it a few times, but every time he did, he would practically be undressed by the eyes of women passing by.

"Let's hope it works on men too." said the redhead to himself. Now he needed pants. He was pretty sure that if he went out in his boxers that the blond would have a heart attack, especially since this particular pair had a small, barely noticeable hole in the back. Francis looked around in his closet and the different pile of clothes scattered around everywhere, but couldn't find a pair of jeans he was comfortable going out with for tomorrow. Francis sighed as he realized he just had to go to the mall and buy a new pair first thing tomorrow.

He placed the shirt at the foot of his bed and made a mental note to iron it in the morning. Francis turned off the light and wrapped himself underneath the sheets of the small bed as he drifted off to sleep.

**

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Again I'm sorry for the shortness, but it's just that this filler chapter was needed to transition into what I wanted to happen next. Well, I should have the next chapter up by Friday. Feel free to read any of my other stories while you wait ;D lol. PLEASE REVIEW!**

**-GohanRules out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: **OMG OMG OMG OMG! I'm sooo super SORRY this came out so late. I don't know what happened. I had a whole bunch of crap this weekend and I was recently introduced into the world of role playing *sweatdrop*, but here it is. Hope I don't disappoint any more than I already have.

**Warning:** Yaoi/slash. The usual ;)

**Disclaimer:** You _should_ know by now that I don't own Static Shock. There'd be a lot less clothes and a lot more skin if I did XD

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Richie groaned as the ring of his alarm clock bellowed in his room. He unconsciously slammed his arm on the large snooze button on top and shivered as his previously covered skin was exposed to the cold morning air. He was exhausted from being out late last night busting some last minute bang baby activity with Static and hadn't gotten much sleep. In other word, he definitely didn't remember setting an alarm. He sleepily raised his blond locks from under the covers to see what time his malfunctioning alarm had unceremoniously woke him up on a Sunday morning.

"What the hell?" Richie uncharacteristically cursed. He stared in annoyance at the red square numbers that read eight in the morning. The blond roughly dropped his head onto his soft, plush pillow as he groaned one again. If it weren't for the fact that one he was woken he couldn't go back to sleep, Richie wouldn't be getting up. Then blond pulled the blanket of his body and stood up. He took a moment to stretch out his back, arms, and legs, then went straight to the bathroom connected to his room. He relieved himself of his morning…duties, and flushed. Next he looked at the mirror and stared at his reflection. He saw a young man with fairly pale skin and silky smooth blonde hair in nothing but a pair of forest green briefs. The young man had toned biceps and what seemed to be the faint signs of a six pack. No one knew that the teen had recently began gaining some muscle mass, but Richie preferred it that way. Ever since he can remember, he's always been self-conscious of his body, so he always hid it behind baggy pants and hoodies.

Richie turned on the cold water to the sink and splashed his face. He then went to the task of applying toothpaste to his toothbrush and brushing his teeth vigorously. He quickly went on with the task and rinsed his mouth. The blond then preceded the next step in his morning routine and opened the glass door of his shower. He turned on the water and re-shut the door as he waited for it to warm up. Richie pulled down his tight green briefs and kicked them off to the side. He stepped into the shower and sighed as the hot spray hit his back, instantly relieving his tense shoulders. The blond put his arms in front of him as he leaned on the white tile wall of the shower.

Richie used this relaxing break to think about how he would spend the day. Then he remembered; he was supposed to meet Francis today!

'_Shit! I completely forgot about him...but…since when do I care?'_ though Richie as he reached for the bar of soap. Up until yesterday, he had always had an extreme dislike for the older teen. After all, the blond had been the target of harassment from the redhead sine elementary school. Richie's been pushed, punched, kicked, and even thrown into trashcans by Francis, but that's never been more than an annoyance to the blond. What always _really_ hurt, were the verbal attacks. After a while, his bruises would heal, but his confidence, to this day, still hadn't. It was the main reason Richie mostly kept to himself.

Richie finished up lathering his body and moved on to the task of shampooing his hair. He grabbed a bottle of his favorite fruit smoothie shampoo and squeezed out a generous amount on his palm. He sat the bottle down and roughly scrubbed his head with the shampoo. As he washed his hair, Richie went back to the topic at hand; Francis. The redhead seemed to be completely sincere yesterday and somehow managed to convince Richie into hanging out with him. The blond couldn't think of what they could possibly talk about. The two probably had nothing in common. Richie would probably end up stumbling over his words and then Hotstreak would make reappearance and laugh at him.

'_For all I know, this could all be a cruel joke,'_ thought Richie. If it was all a joke, he doesn't know what he would do. Richie washed off the shampoo and continued on to the matching conditioner. All these thoughts of the fire manipulator were giving him a headache. Richie was well aware of his problem with thinking too much into things.

'_Whatever happens happens,'_ he thought.

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Meanwhile, Francis had woken up extra early today to get a head start and be the first at the mall. He was currently standing in front of a map directory, trying to find a store where he could buy his jeans as quickly as possible and get out before anyone saw him. Francis Stone and malls do not mix.

"Aha! There it is. Store 328," he said out loud as he pointed at the store he was looking for. Francis quickly speed walked towards the direction of the store; dedicated to shorten this little adventure as much as possible. On the way there however, there was a Cinnabon stand. He back tracked to the stand and pressed his face into the glass separating him and the delicious cinnamon treats. He was interrupted from his staring by a feminine voice. He looked up at the girl behind the counter. She currently had her back to him while she was getting more cinnamon buns out from the oven.

"Huh? What do you want?" rudely asked Francis. The girl turned around slowly so she didn't drop the buns.

"I said, If you're not goi-Francis?" said the girl as she finally got a look at her customer. Francis looked at the girl with widened eye.

'_Shit! What's Daisy doing here? It wasn't enough that someone had to see me, but some I know?' _he thought bitterly. Daisy just stared at the wide eyed redhead and started to laugh hysterically. Francis didn't like it one bit and started to growl involuntarily. Daisy however, wasn't threatened and laughed even harder.

"Hey! What's so funny?" asked Francis. He _really_ didn't need this. It was too early for this. The ebony girl wiped the tears from her eyes and tightly held onto her ribs as her laughing started to subside.

"N-nothing. I just find it funny that the great Hotstreak is at the Dakota mall this early in the morning and staring at a rack of Cinnabons," she said amusedly. Francis puffed his chest out and looked down at the girl; obviously trying to maintain his rep. Daisy just rolled her eyes at the display and turned back to her work.

"So what are you doing here anyways?" she asked as she wiped down the counter. Francis let out the breath he was holding and decided to make small talk with the girl.

"I'm looking for something," he answered. He didn't want her to know he was clothes shopping.

"No shit Sherlock. It's a mall; that's what they're for. I meant, _what_ are you looking for? Maybe I can help you find it," she replied back smartly. The redhead glared at her and gave up. He didn't know where he was going anyways.

"I'm looking for store 328," informed Francis. Daisy raised an eyebrow, but chose to ignore it.

"Abercrombie? Didn't know that was your…style," she said as she looked him up and down. It didn't go unnoticed by the ex-convict, but he didn't give it any attention and just waited for the girl to help him out already.

"Anyways…you just go down this hallway and take a right after you pass the food court," she said, pointing at the hallway Francis was running down earlier. Francis nodded his thanks and started walking down the hallway.

"Wait! Here," Daisy yelled at the retreating form. The pyro turned around and caught something the girl threw at him. He looked down at his hands to see a warm cinnamon roll. He looked up to the girl with a raised eyebrow, but got a shrug in response. He smiled widely at her and took a bite out of the sweet.

"Thanks," he said as he kept walking down the hallway.

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Francis followed Daisy's directions to the word and found himself in front of a dark lit store with a funny pretty boy smell coming out of it. Truth was he chose the first clothing store he saw on the directory. Now he was regretting his choice. Regardless though, he walked into the store and narrowed his eyes to try to see in the darkness.

'_What kind of a store needs flashlights just so you can see where you're going'_ he thought as he walked right into a wall. He rubbed his head and turned around to see a group of younger girls covering their mouths and giggling at him. This was going to take a lot longer than he expected.

**Alright there it is. Sorry if it's short, and I know it's not what you wanted, but I promise promise promise the next chapter will be the date. Please review! Even if it's to tell me how mean you think I am for not updating sooner XD**

**P.S.-If you can, leave a review with any ideas you want me to involve in the date :D Thnx**

**-GohanRules out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note:** *hides in corner crying* I know! Don't hate me! I felt really bad for saying I wouldn't take forever and then taking even longer, but I made it up to you! I made an extra long chapter! And it's the date! Yea, that's how bad I felt lol. But anyways, this time I had a _real_ excuse (not that my other one wasn't). My brother, (who I haven't seen, talked to, or heard from) moved in with us permanently! Yea, so I've been spending quality time with my family, but that's still no excuse. I'll try to be better.

**Warning:** yaoi/slash, minor language

**Disclaimer:** I think I've talked enough. I don't own this.

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Francis nervously tapped his fingers on the edge of the greasy looking table he was sitting at. He'd been waiting for a certain generous blond to make his appearance for the past ten minutes; of course the redhead _did _come ten minutes early. He just wanted everything to be perfect. This was the first time he ever hung out with anyone, let alone Richie. He had to somehow manage a way to gain the other boy's trust. Saying Francis was nervous was definitely an understatement.

The redhead was distracted from his thoughts as he heard the chime of the bell signaling someone was entering the fast food restaurant. He snapped his head up for what seemed like the millionth time, but dropped it back down in disappointment as he saw it was just some blond chick. Unnoticed by Francis, the girl approached his table and stopped right in front of him. She rubbed his arm seductively as she tried to get his attention.

"Hey there. Who you waiting on for handsome?" she huskily asked. Francis blinked his eyes and looked at the delicate hand stroking his bicep. He gently lifted the hand off him and looked up at the girl. She was wearing a tight hot pink top and a short light pink skirt. He raised an eyebrow at the obvious flirting and refocused his attention at the door.

"Don't worry about it. It's not your problem," he said dismissively as he waved her off. The girl blinked in surprise and tried again.

"What's wrong? Don't like blondes?" she asked him. Francis almost laughed at the question. Of course she had to ask _that_. He sighed and looked up at her with a stern face.

"Actually, I do, but you're not exactly my type. Now scram before my friend gets here," he said harshly. He was really starting to get angry. The blonde's mouth dropped at what the muscular redhead had said. She was _everyone's_ type. She stomped her foot childishly and left in a hurry. Francis ignored her and gave a sigh of relief. However, his relief was cut short by another gentle tap on his shoulder. He snapped his head up angrily, ready to tell the blonde off.

"I told you to fucking leave alre-," Francis stopped his yelling as he saw Richie retract his hand and step back flinching. Francis' eyes widened and he stood up immediately. Richie took another step back in fear and prepared himself for the beating that was undoubtedly coming. This made the redhead feel even worse.

"Wait! No Richie! I'm sorry! I thought you were someone else!" he pleaded as he rose and reached for the blond. Richie shut his eyes forcefully as he saw the other reaching for him. What he expected to be a brutal impact to his face ended up being a gentle touch to his shoulder. The blond opened his eyes slowly and saw regret planted all over Francis' face. He exhaled the breath didn't notice he was holding and nodded his head. Francis let his hand trail down the clothed arm faintly as he let go. He sat back down and motioned for the blond to join him. Richie complied as he took a seat across from the ex-convict.

They both looked down at the table as an awkward silence washed over them. Francis still felt guilty for what he did to the younger teen and Richie was still a little scared of muscular man in front of him. Francis was the first to break the silence by clearing his throat. The bespectacled teen looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"So…uhh…want me to uh...order for us?" Francis asked. He really wanted this to go right and so far he had a lot to make up for.

"Y-yea, sure. Can you get me a number four?" he asked timidly as he reached for his pocket to get out some money. Francis saw this and quickly denied the blond.

"No don't worry about it. I'll pay. It's the least I could do for scaring you earlier," he said sheepishly.

"Ok thanks!" Richie said happily. Francis nodded and left to make their orders. It seemed like his offer to pay was appreciated. Maybe he could still gain Richie's trust.

'_God I hope so. I need him to trust me,"_ the redhead thought.

* * *

Richie patiently waited for Francis to come for his food. They still hadn't eaten and already the day was looking bad. When Richie walked in, he almost gasped at the sight of the man wearing a _very_ revealing shirt and baggy, ripped blue jeans. Richie shifted his seating position from casually leaning back to sitting upright as he tried to conceal the tightness that suddenly made itself present in _his_ jeans. The blond jumped a little when the subject of his thoughts sat down in front of him with a tray filled with food.

"This thing is huge man! There's no way you can eat all this," Francis said as he handed Richie a super supreme royal bacon burger. Richie immediately grabbed the burger and his large coke that the redhead offered him. He expertly unwrapped it and took a huge bite from it.

"Of course I can, although I don't doubt you for doubting my eating ability. Most people do the first time they see me eat," Richie said behind a mouthful of burger. Francis stifled a chuckle at the cuteness that was Richie Foley and took his own, much smaller, bite of his cheeseburger. He chewed and swallowed before replying to the blond.

"I just don't see where it all fits, or why it doesn't show. You work out or something?" he asked. Richie swallowed and took a drink of his coke as he listened to the redhead. He choked a little on the drink when Francis asked him if he worked out.

'_Yea, you lose a lot of calories fighting bang babies. Actually, I think I've shaved off a few pounds fighting you,'_ the blond thought.

"Uhh…yea sort of," he replied. Francis gave the blond a huge smile. The smile grew even bigger when he saw it was returned. The two sat there just staring at each other's eyes with goofy grins on their faces for what seemed like minutes until Francis cleared his throat and looked away blushing.

"Maybe we could work out together or something," said the redhead as he sheepishly rubbed his neck, still looking away. Richie didn't seem to notice the other's apprehensiveness and just chuckled. Francis heard the laugh and looked down ashamed, thinking the blond was laughing at him. This time Richie did notice his past bully's expression and he instantly felt guilty for laughing.

"No no. I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing because I never thought me, Richie Foley, would _ever_ be invited to work out with Francis Stone, the bad boy pyro of Dakota," he explained while smiling. Francis sighed in relief and laughed himself.

"If you're worried, don't be. I'll go easy on you," Francis teased as he took another sip of his drink and a bite of his burger. The super genius stuck his tongue out at the other good naturedly and laughed. The two laughed and talked as they found that a friendship was slowly forming between them. They both surprisingly had more in common than they thought. Richie was surprised to find out that Francis was just a big video game geek as he was, and Francis was stunned to discover that Richie hated school, loved basketball, _and_ finished his burger and coke in ten minutes.

As the two finished their meals, they both stood up as Francis threw away both of their trash. They walked out of the fast food restaurant and walked down the sidewalk together in a comfortable silence. Richie walked with his hands in the pocket of his baggy blue hoodie and Francis walked with both _his_ hands in his pants pockets. There had been one question that had been rattling in the blond's head all day however, and he was killing to ask already.

"Hey man, can I ask you a question?" Richie asked. Hotstreak stopped walking and smiled at him.

"Shoot," he replied.

"Why are doing this? You use to bully me _all_ the time. Ever since I can remember you've been there to hurt me when I'm most vulnerable. You've called me names, beat me up, and threatened me constantly. I can't accept whatever kind of apology you're trying to give me unless I know why," Richie said. He had to know. There _had_ to be a reason the other was doing all this.

The pyro knew this part was coming sooner or later. Richie was smart; of course he'd catch on sooner or later. Francis looked up at bright blue eyes as he tried to keep his emotions in check. His throat suddenly became dry as he searched for the right words to say. He opened his mouth but the words wouldn't come out. He sighed and stared down at his fee with sad eyes as he finally found his voice.

"I'm sorry. I know I've been an asshole to you and everyone I know, but…I just want to start over. I'm tired of all the shit I made people put up with just because I couldn't handle my own. I've always been the worse towards you. Don't ask why kuz I don't know," he forced. Francis now had a hard look on his face as his fists shook and his shoulders trembled. Richie was speechless. He didn't expect such an honest answer from the redhead.

"Francis, I-,"

"Wait. Let me finish. People always think I'm this dumb, tough, gangster who goes around stealing and hurting people, but I'm not. That's just who I _have_ to be. The truth is…I'm scared. I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of hospitals, I'm scared of getting close of anyone, I'm scared of showing how I feel, shit I'm even scared of dying alone. Most of all though…I'm scared of you," the words barely left the redhead's mouth as tears started dropping from his face and landing on his worn out sneakers. He felt so stupid. How could he ever think that the blond would forgive him? After everything he's done to him, why should he deserve forgiveness? Francis turned away as he readied to walk away. Richie probably thought he was an idiot.

"I forgive you," Francis heard just as he was going to leave. He slowly raised his head to look at the blond. Richie looked saddened by what the pyro had just told him. It was obvious Francis wasn't who he believed to be. The genius felt a sting to his chest when he looked into the teary eyes of the ex-criminal in front of him. He placed his hand on Francis' shoulder and nodded to show his understanding. He then slowly pulled the other into a tight hug. Francis' eyes were wide as saucers as he was embraced by the blond, but he soon gave in as he leaned his head on the others shoulder and inched his arms up slowly so that he was holding Richie just as tightly as he was being held. He gently snuggled into the warm embrace and wished they could stay like this.

**

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See! Long chapters rule! Well anyways, the "date" will be continued in the next chapter. Also, I'm so glad you guys are loving on Francis' personality. I was aiming for a slightly OOC Francis, but he's also not a simple character (as you can tell from this chapter). Thanks for sticking with me and PLZZZZ REVIEW!**

**-GohanRules out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: **Hey guys! I'm so happy! I love this story so much and you guys make me feel all warm inside when you review. Anyways, I just have to say…this is totally my favorite chapter I have written so far! I love this chapter with a passion it's not even funny. I guess I kinda got into the Valentine's Day mood when I was writing it :D. I hope you guys love this as much as I do, but first I have a few more things to say:

CoblynauRisen: I completely agree with you. You always seem to know what I'm aiming for in my writing. You've been reviewing since chapter one and I always find myself excited to see what you're going to say next. I hope you keep reviewing regularly.

Kazakun08: I'm so glad you like this story! I hope to see your reviews from now on. They make me want to write more for you guys. :D Please keep giving me feedback.

CrispyDruid: LOL! I laughed so f-ing hard when I read your review! Let me tell ya, I completely agree with your view on skanks. Hopefully you'll keep making me laugh by reviewing? *insert puppy eyes*

Servant of Time: I'm happy you found my story. I really want to hug Francis too! Also, there's a little dedication to you in this chapter. Lol I guess I was just thinking of your review. You'll know what I mean when you read it.

**Warnings: **Yaoi/slash

**Disclaimer: **Man I wish I owned this show, but alas…the show would be completely different if I did. I think I've talked enough. It's readin' time!

* * *

"_I forgive you," Francis heard just as he was going to leave. He slowly raised his head to look at the blond. Richie looked saddened by what the pyro had just told him. It was obvious Francis wasn't who he believed to be. The genius felt a sting to his chest when he looked into the teary eyes of the ex-criminal in front of him. He placed his hand on Francis' shoulder and nodded to show his understanding. He then slowly pulled the other into a tight hug. Francis' eyes were wide as saucers as he was embraced by the blond, but he soon gave in as he leaned his head on the others shoulder and inched his arms up slowly so that he was holding Richie just as tightly as he was being held. He gently snuggled into the warm embrace and wished they could stay like this._

* * *

Francis felt like he was being flooded by emotions. He felt so warm wrapped up in the surprisingly muscular arms of the blond. He felt safe, as if Richie would protect him from the world and all the bad people in it, people who would love for the chance to hurt him. With that thought in mind, Francis tightened his arms even more around the other to the point f almost bruising.

Richie was, to say the least, surprised, but he didn't want to let go of the redhead yet. Not when he seemed so…vulnerable. Instead, he tried to comfort the older as best he could by soothingly rubbing his back. It seemed the action was appreciated as Francis sighed blissfully. The blond silently smiled to himself at his accomplishment.

"Hey Francis…you want to come over to my house? I mean you don't have to. I j-just thought that maybe you'd want to h-hang out for a little while longer since it's still pretty early," he nervously sputtered. Francis pulled back from the embrace with a warm smile as he answered the blond.

"Yea… that'd be great. Thanks," he said quietly as a blush tainted his cheeks. The redhead quickly pulled away from the hold of the blond and instantly felt a cold shiver run down his spine due to the absence of warmth. Richie gave him a weak smile continued down the sidewalk without another word. Francis took the hint and followed beside the younger teen. A silence formed between the two as they walked. Francis found it not as an awkward silence, but more of a comfortable silence, a silence signaling no words were needed to be said. The pyro smiled fondly as he placed his hands into the pockets of his new pair of jeans.

* * *

"Sorry for the mess. My parents left for their second honeymoon about a week ago, whatever the heck that is," Richie explained the redhead behind him as he opened the front door. Francis took a look around as he closed the door behind him. Richie's house was _huge_. As soon as one walked in, they were immediately introduced to the living room.

'_Damn. Leather couches and a big screen plasma TV? Dude's got good taste'_ he thought amusedly. Richie turned around due to the lack of reply and raised an eyebrow as he saw Francis trying to hold in a laugh.

"What? Why are you laughing?" he asked, trying to keep his own laugh from escaping his lips.

"Huh? N-nothing. I was just looking around is all."

"Okay, whatever. You want something to eat? Drink? If you want, I can cook you something," Richie politely offered. He wanted the other to feel at home for some reason. The only other person to ever set foot inside Richie's house was Virgil, and Richie had to admit he _was_ a little nervous. Francis' green eyes brightened up as he beamed at the offer.

"I didn't know you could cook."

"Yea, well, I think there are a lot of things we still don't know about each other. So you want something?"

"Maybe later. We _did_ just eat and unlikeyou I _do_ get full."

Richie blushed a little and looked away as a pout seemed to automatically form itself on his lips. This time Francis couldn't hold in the inevitable laugh that busted from his mouth. He held on to his sides as he doubled over in hysteric laughter. Richie's flush disappeared as he started to giggle as well. Soon enough giggles turned into chuckles and chuckles turned into full blown chortles of merriment.

Francis was the first to gain his composure as he waited, smiling, for the other to stop laughing. He reveled in the sight of pure contentment on the other's face. The redhead made a note to remember the way Richie's eyes turned into a brighter shade of blue when he laughed. Or the exact place where his cute, little, barely noticeable dimples appeared on his face. A face that always seemed to show happiness and contentment. A face that had two beautiful dark blue colored pools for eyes, cheeks that looked silky smooth to the touch, and of course, a pair of rosy, full lips just waiting to be explored.

"Why don't you take a picture?" Richie's voice suddenly came. Francis jumped slightly as he was startled out of his stupor. He raised his gaze a few inches from where they were and found himself being pulled into deep blue irises, covered by thin frame glasses.

"Maybe I will. Seemed like a perfect Kodak moment to me," he said as he smiled amiably at the other. Richie grinned at the redhead's reply as he walked past him wordlessly.

"Where are you going?" Francis asked confusedly.

"C'mon, I'll show you," was the amused reply. Francis shrugged and followed behind the blond as they walked up the stairs leading to the second floor and into the room at the end of a wide white hallway. The first thing Francis noticed when he entered the room were the solid green walls. The next thing that caught his eyes was the huge queen sized bed pushed up against the far corner. The comforter of the bed was also green, but it was more of a forest green as opposed to the toxic green of the walls.

"This, _hothead_, is my room," Richie said as he plopped himself down onto his perfectly made bed. A flutter made itself present Francis' chest in recognition of the new nickname.

"Really? For a second I thought it might be a bathroom," Francis said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. The blond chuckled at the joke looked up at the redhead from his comfortable spot on his bed. The pyro was just standing there, leaning from one foot to the other repeatedly.

"Well?" Richie asked as he raised a blond eyebrow.

"Well what?" Francis asked back as he walked closer so he was standing right next to the sprawled genius.

"Aren't you going to lie down?" Richie asked as he held back a laugh at the other's cluelessness. Francis found his cheeks reddening for the thousandth time today.

"Uhh…n-no, I'm good. Thanks anyways," he mumbled. Now Richie chose to roll his eyes at the display of manners.

"C'mon don't be so formal," Richie said. He grabbed Francis' slightly bigger hand and pulled down forcefully, causing the redhead to yelp in surprise as he came tumbling down and landed on top of blond. Richie laughed hysterically at the sound the pyro maid as said pyro only grumbled in response. Then suddenly, they both simultaneously notice the position they were in. There they were, in the middle of a bed, Francis lying on top of Richie, faces merely inches apart from each other. Their chests touching and Richie's legs in between Francis' separated ones. They stayed there staring into each other's eyes silently, waiting for the other to say something. The blond underneath moved his right leg about an inch as he subconsciously tried to get more comfortable in this position. The action did not go unnoticed by Francis as it caused slight friction to occur between his crotch and the other's thigh. He instantly found himself hardening and roughly rolled off of Richie so that he laid belly down next him.

Richie came back to reality as he just realized what had just happened. He turned his head slightly to the right and stared at the back of Francis' head. He hoped things wouldn't suddenly become weird between them just because of that one awkward moment. Richie wanted so badly to say something to the pyro. He wanted to ask him what the big deal was. After all, a long, tight hug in the middle of a sidewalk was way more personal than the other accidently landing on him. Richie wanted to know so badly what it was he did wrong, but said nothing in fear of only angering Francis.

Francis stared at the wall absentmindedly as he waited for Richie to yell at him in disgust. The longer he waited, the more nervous he became. The redhead felt his body tiring as he stayed motionless. He wanted to turn around and see the expression on the other's face, but his limbs were becoming heavy due to his tiredness. Before he knew it, a yawn escaped his lips.

"It's pretty late. If you're tired, you can stay the night," finally came the voice of the blond. The sudden sound in the silent room caused Francis to jump. Francis, with much struggle, turned his body to look at the blond who was still in the same position right next to him. Francis was too tired to deny the generous offer and nodded his head appreciatively as he made a move to stand up. His stopped as he sat up when Richie grabbed his hand for the second time today.

"The couch downstairs is really uncomfortable. If it doesn't bother you, you can sleep on the bed with me. It's huge and V always takes the right side while I take the side against the wall when he sleeps over," Richie stated hesitantly. Francis felt his heart skip a beat despite his exhausted condition.

"Y-yea…okay," he said as he repositioned himself on the bed. Richie smiled at him and stood up.

"Alright wait here. I'm gonna brush my teeth and get out of my day clothes. You can take off your clothes if you want. Get more comfortable," he suggested as he walked towards a door a second door connect to his room that Francis had failed to notice earlier. Richie walked in to what the redhead assumed was a bathroom and closed the door. Francis was grateful for the offer to get comfortable and peeled off the skin tight clothing that was his shirt and tossed it on the ground. He lied back down on the bed as close to the edge as he could and wrapped himself under the blankets as he waited for the blond to finish so he could get to the task of turning off the light and succumbing to slumber.

Richie walked out of the bathroom with his eyes closed shut and arms stretched out as he gave off a loud yawn. He was wearing what he always wears to sleep, his boxers, but for the sake of not making Francis feel uncomfortable, had decided on tossing on a large, loose fitting light green t-shirt. He walked to the bed and noticed Francis had taken off his shirt and gotten comfortable like he suggested. All he could see were the other's broad shoulders since he was cozily shielded under the blanket, but Richie could tell that the other had built body.

The blond crawled to his side of the bed by the wall and got under the covers as well. He took off his glasses and stretched his arm over Francis to put them on the nightstand by the bed. He then proceeded to turn off the desk lamp and resume his comfortable position.

"Goodnight hothead."

"G-goodnight Richie."

**

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Awwwww….lol. Did you guys like it? What did you think? Please tell me in a review. And also, I almost forgot to ask you guys; do you think I take too long to update? Please be honest in your review and tell me if you'd like me to update sooner. Every five days? Four days? Once a week? Seriously, whatever you guys tell me I'll put into consideration, so…PLZ REVIEW!**

**-GohanRules out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Surprise! I updated faster this time! This chapter was fun to make, but it's not very important plot wise. Next chapter will be, so don't worry. And I'm really happy you guys seemed to like the last chapter as much as I do. One of you even made a…accurate prediction in your review…lol. Enjoy.

**Warning: **male/male, slightly mature scene

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Static Shock so stop asking! *crosses arms and pouts*

* * *

The city of Dakota was currently undergoing a vicious thunderstorm. The sudden unforeseen change of weather was drastic. What was once a sunny, warm, and completely dry day had now somehow shifted into a dark, cold, and completely drenched one. Fat needles of water crashed down swiftly as they pelted anything and anyone in their way. Bright bolts of electricity zigzagged across the sky only to fade away afterwards and be replaced by the booming echo of thunder.

A certain muscular young man was startled awake by the penetrating sound as it reverberated into his skull. Tan eyelids fluttered open to reveal dark green tired irises. Francis took a second to blink himself into quasi awareness. The redhead yawned loudly as he scratched his bare stomach. He was well aware of his morning…_condition_, and almost out of habit, he lowered his right from its position on his belly and maneuvered inside his jeans and under the brim of his briefs. Francis then gently gripped his erection and bit his lip as he stifled a quiet moan of pleasure. He tightened his hold slightly as he slid his left hand up his stomach towards its predetermined destination. The lustful look on the pyro's face suddenly changes into one of confusion and panic as his elbow bumped into something firm and warm. He turned his panicked gaze to the left and almost yelled in surprise as he saw the peaceful sleeping form of Richie.

'_Oh my fucking God! Why am I so fucking stupid? How did I forget where I am?' _were the first things to come into the redhead's mind. The next was to slowly remove his right hand from its comfortable spot in his underwear. Once that was done, Francis slowly got up from the bed so as not to wake the blond and walked to what he believed was the bathroom. From there on, the pyro made went through his usual morning routine.

* * *

"Oh c'mon!" Richie heard from close by. He yawned loudly and blinked his eyes repeatedly as he woke. The first thing the blond noticed was the usual mix of blurs he saw when he didn't have on his glasses. The next was the relaxing pitter patter of rain hitting the glass of his window followed by the insinuating boom of thunder. Richie sat up and looked at his alarm clock. The time read five minutes before he usually gets up for school. He stood up and heads straight to the bathroom to check on Francis. He gently rasped on the door and waited for a reply. Seconds later, a topless Francis opened the door with a sheepish look on his face.

"Uh…good morning. Sorry if I woke you up," he mumbled to the other. Richie pushed past the redhead and gave him a sleepy smile.

"Don't worry about it. My alarm was about to go off anyways," he answered as he waved the pyro off. Francis nodded at the other and walked over the cabinets under the sink. He opened them and searched around for something, but cursed under his breath after ending up with nothing.

"Is there something you need?" Richie asked him with a raised eyebrow. Francis stood back up and turned his attention back to the blond. The blond who he just noticed was still only wearing a rather large light green t-shirt and what Francis imagined to be briefs. He couldn't tell for sure since the shirt was large enough to cover that part of Richie's…_anatomy_. Francis shook his head and looked back up to the blond's face.

'_I hope he didn't notice me staring,'_ the pyro thought.

"Uh…yea…I was looking to see if you had an extra toothbrush lying around here?" he asked, feeling a little guilty for staring at the clueless blond.

"Yea, sure, but they're in the downstairs bathroom. Here let me get it for you. I'll get you a towel and some of my bigger clothes for you to wear if you wanna take a shower too," Richie offered the redhead. Francis' heart sped up at the thought of wearing some of the other's clothes.

"Yea. That'd be great. Thanks Richie."

"Don't worry about it. You can give them back to me after you wash them or whatever," he said as he turned and left the bathroom. Francis walked back into the room and sat down on the bed as he waited for Richie to come. Now that he was alone, Francis took the time to really look at the blond's room. Multiple band posters scattered crookedly on the walls, along with movie posters, and even video game posters. There was also a small desk by the foot of the bed, right next to the wet window, with a green laptop on it.

"Sure does like green…," the redhead mumbled to himself. Just then, Francis found himself _just_ noticing the TV on a black table up against the wall. It was nowhere near the size of the huge one downstairs, but definitely not small. He stood up and took the remote on the table, then sat back down. He turned the television on to the morning news and listened in to the voice of the enthusiastic anchorwoman.

"_Thank you Chet, for that weather update. And now, moving on to the effects of this sudden thunderstorm that has hit the city. Due to the closing of many main roads because of flooding, multiple schools, colleges, and businesses will be closed until further notice. You should see a list of these places at the bottom of your screen. In further news, another appearance by Dakota's two favorite superheroes-," _Francis' attention was taken away from the boring middle-aged woman on the screen by the footsteps of Richie coming up the blond walked into the room holding some folded clothes in his hands, along with towel and a cheap red toothbrush.

"Hey. Whatcha doing?" Richie asked curiously as he amusedly looked at the redhead on the bed. Francis stood up and smiled at the blond.

"Nothing. I'm just watching the news. Apparently this storm is pretty serious. They say a lot of schools are closing. You should check to see what the deal with yours is,"

"Oh. Cool, thanks. Well, here are some clothes, a toothbrush, and a towel. Hopefully the clothes will fit you. Go ahead and take as long as you want," the blond said as he handed Francis said items. Francis appreciatively took the offered materials and headed straight into the bathroom. Richie sat down where the redhead was previously sitting and waited to see if school was canceled for him today or not. He childishly crossed his fingers in hopes of getting a day off to relax.

Francis closed the door behind him as he entered the bathroom with all his stuff. He set the clothes and towel on the closed seat of the toilet and squeezed some paste onto his red toothbrush. Francis almost laughed at the thought of the blond genius actually having something in a color other than green. He firmly held the brush and proceeded to brush every part of his mouth; teeth, tongue, and even the inside of his cheeks. Francis heard a knock on the door just as he spit the paste into the sink and was about to rinse.

"Come in," he yelled right before he brought some of the tap water to his lips. Richie practically came in bouncing excitedly as he walked to the sink.

"Yes! No school! Know what that means?"

"Uhh…that you don't have to go to school?" Francis asked confusedly.

"Exactly! It means no homework, no teachers, and being in my pajamas all day. Thank you random weather anomaly!" he yelled as he threw his hands up in the air. Francis spit into the sink and dried his lips with the back of his hand as he raised an eyebrow at the other.

"And here I was thinking that you of all people would be disappointed by the lack of algebra in your day," the redhead teased as he chuckled. Richie rolled his eyes and his smile widened considerably.

"Just because I'm good at school doesn't mean I have to like it,"

"So I can tell," Francis chuckled. Richie gave a small chuckle himself, but then he stopped and gave the redhead a worried look.

"Hey uhh…I think you should stay here for now. At least until the storm calms down a little. You can stay here as long as you want," the genius timidly voiced his concerns. Francis' face softened at the worry in Richie's voice.

'_Man, we just fixed this shit between us and he's already worrying about me? He's too cute for his own good."_

"Thanks for the offer, but I've already overstayed my welcome. I'm already pushing it with the shower," he said while sheepishly grinning.

"Are you serious? You already know I have no problem with it if I'm asking you to stay. You know what? Forget it, you're staying. So hurry up and take your shower, then come downstairs for breakfast," Richie said as he grabbed his own toothbrush on the sing and walked out of the bathroom without another word. Francis stood there staring at the door, wondering what just happened when he heard a distant voice yelling something.

"And don't lock the door because I'm coming to bring you some pajamas instead."

Francis rolled his eyes at the blond's persistence and just gave up. He decided to hop on into the shower before Richie comes back and Francis gets in trouble. With that in mind, Francis quickly stripped of his remaining clothes and entered the shower. He closed the curtain and turned on the water. The redhead jumped as far back as he could after being hit by a chilly spray of water. His teeth shivered as he desperately tied to reach the temperature dial without being touched by the arctic blast. When his fingers finally reached it, he quickly turned the dial an inch to the red side and relaxed as he felt the water warm up to a more comfortable temperature. He eased himself into the soothing mist and sighed as his tense body relaxed.

"Hey I'm going to put the pajamas over the toilet seat."

At the sound of the unexpected voice, Francis' eyes widened and the pyro lost his balanced. Richie heard the loud crash of Francis' fall and dropped the clothes in surprise. He ran up to the shower, but didn't pull back the curtain to check if the other was alright. Instead, he stood there, shifting from foot to foot nervously and waited for the other to say something.

"Francis, are you okay? What happened?"

"Oww…my ass…"

**

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Alright there it is, just a fun little chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed. As always, please review and tell me what you thought or how I can make it better. Hell, you can even ask me to put something specific in the story and I might put it in. Until next time…**

**-GohanRules out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Hello again! I'm finally here with…chapter 7 of "Unlikely Advances"! Yay! I hope you guys like this chapter. I aim to please you. I'm an extremely lazy person, but when I think of you guys and your reviews, I go straight to writing. This chapter, as promised, is important to the plot. The last one was just a cute little thing I wrote up quickly. It also had some short Francis sexiness in it, which we all love. So anyways here you go guys!

**Warning:** male/male, slight language

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Static Shock, so stop harassing me! :'(

Francis walked down the stairs slowly while he looked down at the clothes he was wearing. Richie had switched the clothes he was _gonna _borrow with comfortable-fitting pajamas. He had on a very large black t-shirt and a pair of saggy green pajama pants that dragged when he walked. Underneath the pants, Francis wore a pair of green briefs. He had to admit, it felt good to be wearing the blond's clothes, and even better to be wearing his underwear. It oddly made him feel like he was at home. Like this was his home. It was a strange thought, but he was holding on to this memory. Francis heard a loud crash from somewhere else on the first floor and immediately ran to where it came from.

"Richie, are you alri-, "the redhead's concern was replaced by a girly shriek as he tripped over the extra fabric of his pants and landed on his bottom.

"Damn it! Not again!" he said behind clenched teeth. Richie turned around from where he was standing in front of an electric stove and looked at Francis with a confused look. He walked over to the pyro on the floor and offered him a hand.

"Serves you right for running," the blond chuckled as he pulled the other up to his feet.

"Not my fault. I thought you fell or something, but I ended up being the one landing on my ass…again!" Francis mumbled as a light blush appeared on his cheeks. He walked over to a small table located inside the kitchen and sat on one of the chairs. Richie walked over to the fridge and bent over, trying to look for something.

"Oh that? No big deal, I just dropped a pan is all."

Francis gulped and stared wide-eyes at Richie's backside. The last thing on his mind was whatever the blond was talking about. Why was e so affected by the other? What did Richie have that drove Francis so crazy? It was all starting to get really annoying.

"Francis?" Richie's voice suddenly came. Francis snapped back to reality and a blush formed as he realized he might have been caught.

"Uh…w-what?" he stuttered.

"I asked how you want your eggs," he said slowly, thinking the redhead just might not have heard him clearly.

"Oh, um, how about an omelet?"

"Sure," the blond answered as he walked back over to the stove and began preparing the pyro's breakfast. He moved quickly as he reached for different ingredients located everywhere in the kitchen. Francis couldn't help but continue his staring as he watched the genius skillfully tend to the meal and obtain everything he needed by himself. It was obvious that Richie was getting into this.

"Hey Richie, where'd you learn to cook?" Francis asked curiously. The redhead thought his question would go unanswered when Richie continued to struggle trying to reach a certain spice over the pantry. Francis stood up and put a hand on Richie's shoulder as he grabbed the spice then handed it to him. Richie beamed at the pyro and walked back to the meal he was making.

"I guess I'm self taught. I've always been really interested in culinary arts and stuff," Richie said as he expertly flipped something in the pan. Francis went back to his seat and inhaled deeply.

"Damn Richie. If this tastes as good as it smells, I seriously think you should consider being a chef or something."

Richie turned around holding a beautifully plated omelet with three slices of toast. He placed his creation in front of the redhead and went to the fridge. That strange feeling the redhead experienced when he was walking down the stairs returned to him. Richie made him breakfast. Francis couldn't help but smile broadly as said blond came over with a glass of orange juice and placed it next to his plate.

"Wow…thanks Rich."

"Don't worry about it. I love to serve," Richie laughed at his own comment and walked off towards the counter. Francis waited to eat until the blond came back to join him. After all, Francis might be an ex-convict, but he's always had good manners. Suddenly a bell rang through the house, signaling that someone was at the door.

"Oh…um…that must be V. He said he wanted to come over since we have a day off. This will be the perfect time for you two to start over like you and I did," Richie said as he walked back over to the table holding another omelet similar to the redhead's and a plate of French toast the pyro had no idea the blond had made.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Francis asked. He knew that starting over with Richie meant starting over with his best friend, but he didn't think he'd have to do it this fast. If he messed this up, Richie might not want anything to do with him. Francis was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of the bell being repeatedly (and annoyingly) rung multiple times.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you guys will get along just fine," Richie said as he walked out of the kitchen and towards the door, leaving Francis to wait in the kitchen. The blond unlocked the front door and opened it to find a soaked Virgil impatiently waiting on the other side. The ebony shook his head and water droplets scattered everywhere and wetting Richie.

"Hey man! Watch it!" Richie said as he shielded himself from the spray. Virgil ignored his friend's protests and pushed him to the side as he unceremoniously entered the warm and dry house.

"Do you know how cold it is? Not to mention that I couldn't just fly over here because of the rain."

"Hey I'm not the one who invited you over here. You insisted on coming even though I warned you it would be dangerous."

"Well maybe I should just go back home, seeing as my own best friend doesn't even want me here," Virgil said as he turned his back to the blond and crossed his arms in false offence. Richie rolled his eyes and sighed loudly at his friend's dramatic nature.

"You _could_, but then I'd have to eat the French toast I made you and-,"

"French toast? Where?" Virgil yelled excitedly at the thought of his friend's cooking. He didn't even wait for a reply from the blond as he ran to the kitchen in search of the French toast.

"V wait! I need to tell you someth-,"

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"Shit!" Richie cursed as he ran as fast as he could to the source of the sound. As soon as he reached the kitchen, he saw a very angry Virgil about to attack a very uncomfortable Francis. Richie ran between the two and tried to push his friend back.

"Virgil stop! This is what I was trying to tell you!" The blond said as he tried to calm his friend. This was getting way too out of hand, and if Richie didn't do something fast, someone might get hurt.

"Rich you don't understand! Hotstreak is trying to rob you!" the ebony boy yelled as he attempted to push his friend out of the way. Meanwhile, Francis stood behind the table, looking away as he rubbed his arm nervously. He didn't blame Hawkins for thinking he was trying to rob Richie. If anything, it was his fault.

"Richie I think I should go. Maybe this wasn't such a-,"

"No!" Richie interrupted him. This was enough. The blond roughly pushed his friend back and looked him in the eyes with a fierce gaze.

"Shut up and listen V!" he yelled. Virgil gulped and nodded as he quieted down to let his friend talk. Richie turned around and faced the wide-eyed Francis staring at him.

"Francis…_sit_."

The redhead didn't need to be told twice as he hurriedly grabbed a chair and dropped down on it as fast as he could. Believe it or not, Francis was a little scared of what Richie might do, yet he couldn't help but admit to himself that he was also slightly turned on. The genius blond raised his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. How could he get these two to get along? He turned back around to see a gaping Virgil staring at him in disbelief.

"Richie! H-how'd…why…what's going on?" he tripped over his words.

"That's what I've been trying to explain to you!" the blond replied annoyed. The ebony looked behind Richie to see Hotstreak listening into the conversation with interest.

"Alright fine. Just tell me what _he's_ doing here," Virgil retorted while pointing at the redhead sitting down. Richie's eyes widened dangerously at Vigil after what he had just said.

"I said stop! _Francis_ is different now. He hasn't done anything illegal in a long time and he's trying to change for the better," the blond defended his friend.

"Different? Did you forget what he's done to the both of us? What about what he's done to everyone else? He nothing but a-,"

"He's my _friend_ V! Give him a chance…_please_?" he asked desperately. Virgil looked at his best friend helplessly. It seemed Richie was serious about this, and Richie was almost never wrong about these things. Maybe it was worth giving Hotstreak another chance if Richie thought it was okay to.

"Fine…," he said defeated. Richie smiled widely at his friend and jumped up and down excitedly.

"Yes! Thanks V! Here, have some French toast," he said while pulling his friend towards the table. Virgil sat down in the chair across from Francis as Richie took the one between them. He noticed how Francis was trying his best not to look Virgil from across the round table and how Virgil stared daggers at the redhead. The blond kicked his friend's leg under the table in warning, and Virgil immediately continued on to eating his breakfast. Satisfied, the blond went on to taking a bite of his own meal.

Francis was not unaware to the subtle thud that was heard from under the table and imagined the genius had just finished kicking his friend. He swallowed a laugh, but ended up making a strained choking sound. Richie looked up from his plate to look for the source of the sound and noticed the redhead trying to hold back a smile. Richie couldn't help but smile himself as a small giggle erupted from his lips. At the sound of the giggle, Francis let out a loud laugh as he smiled brightly at the blond. The two began to laugh louder and louder as they stared at each other's eyes in amusement. Virgil just stared at them, mouth wide open with a fork of French toast stopped in front of his face. His eyebrow rose slightly as he wondered what was wrong with them.

**What did you think? As always, I love you guys' feedback. And I was actually serious about the suggestions thing too! As long as it's not too wild, and trust me, if I think its wild, then it is **_**really**_** wild. CoublynauRisen, you're piggyback thing? Totally going to use it in the future! :D Anyways, please review!**

**-GohanRules out!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note:** Aright this is the part where you either cheer or pelt me with rotten fruit. I'm soooooo sorry that it took me like three weeks to update this! I've just been really busy with school and have been rushing to bring my grades up. Sorry! I felt so bad because I've wanted to write for so long, but the only thing I found myself writing were boring research papers. So…yeah…SORRY! To top it all off I'm not so happy with this chapter, but I _did_ make it extra fluffy for you guys. Just to warn you though, this story isn't going to be all fluff. Soon there will be drama and maybe even angst (just kuz I love it so much). I hope you guys aren't completely disappointed in me. Enjoy!

** Warnings:** M/M, Slash

**Disclaimer: **I wish I did, but sadly…never going to happen.

* * *

"Let's see...popcorn…popcorn…popcorn…there it is!" Richie got on his tip toes and reached for the bag of popcorn on the top shelf. He smiled in victory as he finally got hold of it and walked over to the microwave. He put the bag in and set the timer for two minutes. The blond then walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where his two friends sat on opposite sides of his large leather couch. The blond genius rolled his eyes at his two friends and plopped himself right between them on the couch.

"You guys are unbelievable," Richie sighed.

"Whatever…," Virgil mumbled.

"What movie are we watching again?" Francis asked to no one in particular. Richie turned his attention to the redhead and looked at him excitedly as he bounced up and down slightly. The pyro smiled and raised an eyebrow at his blond friend's behavior.

"Only like _the_ best scary movie ever! I've been waiting to see it for so long. I can't wait!" Richie exclaimed excitedly. The redhead laughed at his friend and asked again.

"Right…but I still don't know what it's called."

"It's Paranormal Activity. For some reason Richie is in love with it, even though he's never seen it," the ebony teen provided. He knew how dopey Richie could get when he was excited about something and he also knew the blond would have gone on and on about how good the movie is supposed to be.

Francis turned to Virgil and nodded his head in appreciation. It was still a little awkward between the two ever since this morning, but they seemed to have reached a level of aloofness. Suddenly, there was an annoying beeping sound coming from the kitchen and Richie stood up immediately.

"That's the popcorn. I'll be back in a sec," he said as he walked away from the couch and back towards the kitchen. Francis and Virgil sat there in silence as they waited for the bespectacled teen to arrive. Virgil turned as the redhead stretched his arms over his head and yawned loudly. That's when he noticed for the first time that the pyro was wearing Richie's pajamas.

"Hey, why are you wearing Richie's PJs? He asked curiously. Francis looked down at the clothes and smiled at the returning feeling that came with the thought of knowing he was wearing something that was previously worn by the blond.

"Oh Richie let me borrow them since I didn't have any with me," he said casually. Virgil raised an eyebrow in question, still not fully understanding what Francis meant.

"Why would you need pajamas?"

"Huh? Oh, Richie invited me to stay the night since it was kind of late and he wouldn't let me go home this morning when I woke up," Francis answered as he looked at the blank television with a bored expression on his face. Virgil however, was highly surprised. He knew more than anyone how difficult it was for Richie to open up to new people. The blond was normally a very conservative person. For him to invite their bully and enemy to stay the night, let alone hang out with him was highly suspicious to the dark skinned teen. Virgil was interrupted from his thoughts as Richie came back into the room balancing a big bowl of buttery popcorn and three cans of coke. He watched suspiciously as Francis stood and relieved the blond of the big bowl.

_ 'That's weird…since when is Francis polite?'_ he asked himself. There seemed to be something going on that Virgil didn't know about.

"Where's the remote? Where's the remote?" Richie asked frantically as he searched for the remote to the DVD player. Francis watched the blond amusedly and waited for him to notice he was holding the remote in his hands. Virgil rolled his eyes good-heartedly at his high-strung friend and also remained in silence. The blond suddenly stopped from his senseless spinning in place and looked down at his right hand. He looked up to see two amused smile and instantly blushed at the two.

"Just sit down Rich," Francis said while laughing good-heartedly.

"Alright, just give me a second. I'm gonna go get a blanket so I won't have to get up in the middle of the movie."

* * *

"Alright Richie it's over," Francis whispered to the blue lump sitting next to him. Richie had come back with a large blue blanket big enough for the three on the couch. Virgil had fallen asleep twenty minutes into the movie mumbling something about good for nothing boyfriends and fucked up childhoods. The redhead could hear the ebony faintly snoring through the whole movie from the other side of the couch. He himself had enjoyed the movie. True it wasn't scary, but he found it entertaining nonetheless. He even found himself laughing maniacally when the main character was being dragged away from the bed while she was sleeping.

Blond locks poked out from under blue fabric and a mumble could be heard from under the blanket.

"What? You have to speak louder Rich," the pyro stated with an amused smile.

"I said 'that was _the_ scariest movie _ever!_'" the genius reiterated himself as he popped his head out.

"How would you know? You were under the blanket clawing my arm the whole time and asking 'what happened? What happened?' every time you heard someone scream in the movie," Francis teased. Truthfully, Francis loved how the blond took hold of him every time he got scared during the movie. He was cheerfully surprised when Richie had dug into his shoulder and hid his face on his sleeve, but after two or three more jumps and squeaks, Francis found himself adjusting himself so the blond was constantly leaning on him.

Richie pouted immaturely and looked up at Francis. It wasn't his fault the movie was a lot scarier than he expected. At first he hadn't even noticed he was holding on to the redhead, but he found himself leaning on him through the whole movie. For a big muscular dude, Francis sure was soft and comfortable.

"Whatever…I wonder if the storm is still going on," Richie said as he tried to change the subject.

"Ugh…is it over yet?" came a slurred voice from next to Francis and Richie. They both turned to see Virgil stretching his arms and yawning as he tried to rid himself of the last bits of sleep. The tired teen blinked his eyes repeatedly to find Richie looking very comfortable while half-lying on Francis.

"You two look comfortable," Virgil observed. Francis and Richie instantly separated as they coughed awkwardly. The ebony laughed to himself and stood up from the couch. As soon as he stood up, he noticed how cold it was and shivered.

"Damn Richie don't you ever turn on the heat?" he asked though chattering teeth. Richie looked up at him confusedly for a second before answering.

"What are you talking about V? It's not cold at all. It's actually pretty warm."

"Are you crazy? It's freezing in here!"

"Virgil's right Richie. It is cold in here. I felt you shivering during the beginning of the movie so I warmed up my body a little," the pyro added while blushing furiously. Richie turned to Francis with a huge smile on his face.

"Thanks hothead. From now on you can be my human heated blanket," the blond teased. Richie laughed as Francis uncharacteristically pouted without even noticing. Virgil rolled his eyes at the communication and turned.

"Whatever. I'm gonna use the bathroom," he announced as he turned the corner.

"So…want to check if it's still raining?" Francis asked as he stood up and offered his hand to Richie. Richie pulled himself up and smiled.

They walked over to the backdoor that was connected to the living room and opened the blinds. Trees bent at the force of the strong winds and rain shot down viciously against pavement and grass.

"Wow…" Richie said dumbly as he stared at the rapidly moving clouds overhead.

"You said it. Thanks for letting me stay a little while longer. I hate rain. It always makes me feel…helpless, you know?" the redhead stated. Richie nodded.

"Makes sense; you can't start up a flame when there's water falling everywhere," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Well…yea actually….you know, you're the only person I've ever met that doesn't avoid talking about my powers. Most people are too afraid that just thinking about it will burn them," the redhead informed. Richie turned to see Francis looking down as if he were pondering something.

"What's there to be scared about? You have complete control over your powers. You even kept me warm without me noticing just by raising your body temperature."

The pyro looked up to find Richie's mesmerizing blue eyes studying him thoroughly. He shuddered under the attention and gulped.

"It's nothing. I can do a lot more than just start fires and throw them."

They stared into each other's eyes. Trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Trying to figure out what would happen next. Richie tore his gaze from Francis' vibrant green eyes to look at his red hair. Without even noticing, Richie brought his hand up to the fiery locks and was surprised at how soft it was. He ran his fingers down the blond stripe in the middle and slightly curled some hair around his finger when he got to the end.

Francis' eyes widened drastically when he felt the other's hand in his hair. His eyes became hazy as he felt Richie tousling his blond streak. Then they closed when the blond started curling the hair that almost reached his forehead. It was amazing how something so simple could bring Francis such pleasure. He never thought an innocent touch of to his hair could be so intimate. Suddenly there were footsteps coming from down the hall and both separated instantly for the second time that day. They looked away from each other and cleared their throats. Virgil walked in to the room while drying his hands on his jeans. He stopped and raised an eyebrow as he looked up.

"I'm not even going to ask."

* * *

**There it is. The only thing I actually liked about this chapter is how Francis used his powers to warm Richie up and the whole hair thing. Please give me a review telling why you liked or hated this though. You can even give me a review telling me how disappointed you were in me for not updating and leaving you hanging for so long. I'm glad I have new reviewers and I hope you guys keep on reviewing from now on. I write to entertain. I don't know if I'm entertaining you unless you give me your feedback. Also, I missed some of your reviews. Guys what happened? Did you not like my last chapter? Sigh….oh well…PLZ REVIEW!**

**P.S. if anyone wants to add me as a friend on Gaia, send me a PM or something kuz I'd love to know you guys better. :D**

** -GohanRules**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: ** Sorry guys…it seems like I've been apologizing a lot lately. I was going to post last week, but I sorda kinda got grounded. Hehehe…but hey! I managed to get this chapter up! I have a couple things to say before you start though. First off, I was ecstatic to find out I have new readers. MemoryWish, I check my story traffic like literally every five minutes I can. I saw you're review minutes after you wrote it :D CoblynauRisen, I was so saddened when I didn't get a review from you, but jumped up excitedly when I finaly received one. Then I laughed hysterically and fell to the ground laughing at what it said. I've been having problems with the sight too, but they seem to be fixed for now.

**Warning:** M/M, and…for this chapter? That's it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Static Shock.

* * *

Francis sat on the couch as he stared at the TV with a bored expression on his face. He had his arms crossed over his muscular chest as the incessant laughter of Spongebob bounced off the walls. The redhead sighed and looked back, facing the kitchen.

"What are you guys doing back there?" Francis asked, obviously getting impatient from having to wait so long.

Richie's attention turned from an annoyed Virgil and concentrated on a handsome redhead. The blond walked out of the kitchen hurriedly and stood by the doorframe. He gave the pyro an apologetic smile as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Uh…sorry about this. Me and Vigil will just be another second," the genius reassured. Francis shook his head and smiled brightly at the other.

"Nah, don't worry about it. What are you guys doing anyways? We were just watching TV when suddenly some beep went off and you two ran into the kitchen."

Richie's eyes widened as he thought of what to tell the redhead. He couldn't just admit that the beeping sound was the sound of V's shock box. He might have developed a new friendship with Francis, but it was _way _too early to make those kinds of confessions.

_'Hey Francis. Guess what? Me and Virgil are Static and Gear! Anyways, wanna go out and get a burger?'_

Richie almost laughed at how ridiculous that seemed. He shook his head and looked back at Francis, who was currently staring at him suspiciously.

"Uh…that was V's watch. We had to go to the kitchen so we could fix it," he lamely offered. Francis raised a fiery brow at the answer. He sighed deeply and looked at Richie with a sad smile.

"Richie, if you're busy right now, I can just go home. The rain died down for now." He said as he turned from the sofa. The blond's eyes widened with panic as he stretched his arms out.

"No!"

Francis stopped in mid-step and looked at Richie curiously. He put his foot back down and smiled at the blond, still a little confused as to why he had that outburst.

"Richie, it's obvious you're busy right now."

"What? No I'm not."

"You do know you're a _really_ bad liar right?" Francis asked as he got closer to the younger teen. They were both now face to face; about a foot or two apart.

Richie gulped at the slight closeness. He felt his begin to warm up and he desperately tried to force away the blush he knew had formed on his face.

"I don't want you to go. It'd be really bad manners…"

Francis couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. Even when it was obvious that Richie had _something_ important to do, he still felt the need to spare the redhead's feelings.

"Bad manners? You let me stay over the night because you didn't want me to go home so late. You shared your bed with me because you thought I'd be more comfortable that way. You even let me borrow your pajamas and wait till the storm finished. Richie, you made me the best breakfast I've ever had in my life. I'm going to tell you know: you are the most polite person in the world!" Francis said, smile evident in his voice.

Richie's blush deepened tenfold at the attention. He hadn't even noticed he had done all that. He hoped Francis didn't think he was being pushy. The blond turned away from the taller teen and looked down to his shoes.

"But I don't want you to feel like you should leave."

"Don't worry about it. I've been here all day, so I'd probably have to go soon anyways. Plus, the storm could start any minute, so it'll be best if I go now."

A deep sigh escaped Richie as he came to the realization that the redhead was right. He looked up at him and nodded.

"Alright. I'll see you out," he said, a little disappointed the bang baby was leaving. Francis nodded and walked towards the door, Richie close behind. His eyes widened and he suddenly stopped. Richie bumped into his firm back with an "oomph". The pyro turned to him with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. I just remembered that I'm still wearing your PJ's. I should probably change."

The blonde looked down at the other's clothes, also just noticing his pajamas. He chuckled and nodded his head.

"Yea, go ahead. I'll wait in the living room." Francis nodded as he walked away towards the stairs. Richie watched as the redhead's back muscled showed through the shirt as he walked. He also took notice of how his biceps seemed ready to burst through the shirt at any second. Also worthy of attention was the other's smooth yet strong neck. It showed how fit the teenager was. Richie licked his lips subconsciously as his gaze slowly lowered to stop at Francis' firm-looking, perfect-sized as-

The sound of someone clearing their throat suddenly sounded through the room. Richie jumped slightly to see a grinning Virgil looking at him, leaning on the wall. Richie immediately blushed.

"H-how long have you been standing there?" he stuttered.

"Long enough," Virgil replied smugly.

"W-what do you mean V?" the blond asked, attempting to fake innocence. The ebony teen rolled his eyes as he walked towards his friend.

"Don't play dumb Richie. I saw you checking out Hotstreak's-"

"Francis," the genius interrupted. Virgil rolled his eyes at the blond.

"Whatever. I saw you checking out _Francis' _ass," he said smirking. Richie's eyes widened comically as he turned away from Virgil.

"I-I don't know what you're t-talking about!" the blond stuttered nervously.

"Oh please Rich. You were practically drooling." Richie's mouth dropped open at his friend. There's no way he was being _that_ obvious, was he? A strange, embarrassed groan came out of the genius' mouth as his hands came to grip his hair.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Was it really that bad? Please tell me it wasn't that bad!" Virgil just smiled as he nodded his head signaling the positive. The same groan from before sounded from Richie, but this time his hands came up to cover his face.

The ebony teen chuckled at his friend's embarrassment. The blond was easily flustered. He didn't see what the big deal was. Richie had caught him checking out other girls plenty of other times before. What was so different about this? Suddenly, Richie's face popped out from between his hands.

"Hey, what happened to that robbery at the jewelry store?" the blond asked. Virgil shrugged as a slight frown formed on his face.

"It's been too long. They're probably long gone with those diamonds by now." Richie frowned as he looked at his friend.

"It's my fault. Sorry," he apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Even Static and Gear need some time to themselves sometimes," Virgil waved off. Richie nodded as he nodded slowly. He turned as he heard footsteps going down the stairs.

"Alright, well I guess I better go now that I'm changed. Umm…can I…give you back your underwear tomorrow…or something?" Francis asked as he reached the bottom of the steps. His face burned red at the thought of borrowing the blond's briefs. Virgil could be seen behind Richie, raising an eyebrow amusedly at the redhead. Richie however, was struggling to speak as his mouth suddenly went bone dry. Instead of words, the genius bang baby opted to nod his head fervently. Francis smiled as he turned and walked toward the front door. Richie swallowed and followed the redhead to the door. Once they reached it, Francis turned to look down at Richie. The blond found himself staring at the taller's strong chest and quickly whipped his gaze up to his face.

"So…"

"So…"

"Thanks again for giving me another chance. I know most people would have just turned their back on me," Francis thanked. Richie smiled softly as he shook his head.

"Don't thank me. Everyone deserves a second chance. You showed me you were really sorry for the past. There'd be no point in holding grudges."

Francis beamed down at Richie. He stared into those deep blue eyes he found so intoxicating. He felt like he could go insane if he stared at them too long. When he finally tore his gaze away, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small strip of paper. He shoved in Richie's hand and spun on his heel. The pyro quickly opened the door and speed walked away.

"Bye Rich!" he yelled over his shoulder as he got farther and farther. Richie waved at him, confused by what just happened. He looked down at the paper in his hand curiously. A huge smile came to his face as he unfolded it. On the small strip of lined paper was a phone number.

* * *

**So what'd you think? I actually really liked this chapter even thought it was simple, but that could just be me. I wanna know what you thought. Please leave me a review with your opinions.**

**P.S.-CoblynauRisen OMG! I was reading this AWESOME BTR fic and I saw the author mentioned you! I was like "OMG YOU'RE FAMOUS!" Lol okay that's it. Till next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note**: God, I don't even know what to say. Let me just start by asking if there are any of you still here waiting for this. Lol, because the reason it took a whole freaking year to update this is because I found my fandom. This was the second story I ever wrote, and if you care to check, now I'm somewhere in the mid-twenties. I found my fandoms. But anyway, the good news is that I'm a much better writer now and can write way more in one chapter. _And _don't think I forgot about this story, because it's still one of my favorites and I'm finishing it no matter what. I love Hotstreak. So anyway, you've waited enough. Go on and read.

Richie stared out the window absently as he watched birds fly around between tree tops. He was currently sitting in his third period class as his teacher continued to rant on about Sigmund Freud and his influence on modern day psychoanalysis. The blond had been extremely disappointed when he found out he had school today. The thunderstorm ended up only being bad enough for a single day of freedom. He was really hoping for the chance to sleep in today.

* * *

_'Stupid Dakota bipolar weather...' _He thought bitterly. He continued to watch longingly out the window, wishing it was him who was out there.

The genius sighed deeply as he stifled a yawn. He usually looked forward to his AP Psych class, but today was an exception. A certain fiery redhead had been on his mind since yesterday. There was just something about him that kept pulling Richie's interest in. A low, frustrated groan escaped the blond's lips. Why couldn't he just leave it be? Why did he want have the urge to ditch school to search for Francis and get a burger with him?

"Mr. Folley, is my class boring you?" came the sudden demanding voice of Mr. Creen. A few chuckles and giggles could be heard from other students. Richie straightened his posture and turned his gaze to the front as a blush appeared on his cheeks.

"Uh, n-no Mr. Creen, sir," the blond stuttered nervously. The husky bald man stared at Richie skeptically as he paced the front of the class.

"Well then would _you_ mind explaining to the class what a Freudian slip is?" Richie rolled his eyes and sighed deeply. He hated being singled out in front of everyone. He looked down at his desk, trying to ignore the gaze he felt coming from all the other students in his class.

"A Freudian slip is an error in speech which is caused by a person's repressed subconscious thoughts. Some people may also refer to the Freudian slip as a parapraxis. The concept was first introduced by, and named after, Sigmund Freud, who is considered to be the father of psychoanalysis," the blond finished all in one breath as if it were the simplest thing in the world. He continued staring down at the wood of his desk as the room remained quiet.

"Nerd!" he heard someone "cough". The disruption seemed to have brought everyone back from their reverie as a chorus of whispers began between the students. Mr. Creed shook his head and looked at his top student bewilderedly. The Freudian slip was something he planned on teaching next week. Up until today, he'd never even brought up the term. He turned back around and began to write on the white board after quieting down the class. Richie sunk into his seat and stared directly in front of him as he desperately attempted to brush off the raised eyebrows directed his way. The worst part was that there were still twenty minutes before the period was dismissed.

* * *

Gleaming rays of light peeked through the openings in grey colored clouds, the puffs of murk being the only indication of the previous day's weather. Two teenagers walked side by side, each holding a tray of food. They dropped their backpacks with a sigh of relief as they reached a metal table out by the school courtyard.

"Can you believe this?" Virgil asked annoyed. Richie raised a blond eyebrow at his friend's sudden outburst.

"What are you talking about now?" the blonde asked amused.

"I'm talking about this weather. It was raining like crazy yesterday, and now it's bright as hell."

Richie rolled his eyes and chuckled. He was used to the ebony teen's random complaints. The blond looked down at his unappetizing tray of food and sighed. He pushed the tray forward and away from him as he put his elbow on the table and supported his head with his hand. Virgil raised an eyebrow as he brought a forkful of macaroni and cheese up to his lips. He ignored the (for some reason sweet) taste and forced it to go down his throat.

"What's wrong with you? You look worse than pops after he found out they closed that donut shop by the zoo."

Richie couldn't suppress the chuckle that escaped him as he gave his friend an amused smile.

"It's no big deal V. I'm just not in the mood for any school lunch."

"Neither am I, but that's never stopped us from eating it anyway."

"I guess I'm just not that hungry right now."

"Wow. Who are you and what have you done to Richie Folley?" came a familiar female voice from behind the two teenage boys. They both turned to see Frieda and Daisy smiling down at them, their own trays of disgusting (yet somehow edible) cafeteria glop in hand. They moved around to sit on the other side of the table so that they were facing Richie and Virgil.

"Don't worry. The Richie you all know and love is still with you. He's just not that hungry," Richie restated as he looked up at the clouds absently. The other three at the table exchanged confused looks and shoulder shrugs at his strange behavior.

"Well now I'm really scared. If _you _won'teat this…," Frieda started as she scowled at the food on her tray. Daisy brought a hand up to her mouth as she giggled at her friend's statement. Virgil remained quiet as he eyed the blond next to him suspiciously. Something wasn't right. Richie was just fine yesterday. What could have happened to put him in such a bad mood today? Pretty much the only difference between today and yesterday is that he isn't drooling over…

'_Oh…' _Virgil concluded as a mischievous smirk appeared on his face. He was going to milk this for all it was worth. The teen cleared his throat as he casually smiled at Richie.

"So Rich, tell Daisy and Frieda about who we hung out with yesterday."

Virgil struggled to choke down the chuckle that was bubbling up his throat when he noticed how tense the blond's shoulders suddenly got. The other two girls looked between the two friends with raised eyebrows as they waited for an explanation.

"What are you guys talking about now?" Richie snapped his head back and glared at his friend before grinning sheepishly at the two girls.

"Uh…n-nothing happened. We were just…hanging out with an old friend," the pale teen muttered.

"Old friend? Old _friend_? You're kidding, right?" Virgil couldn't hold it in any longer as he erupted into a chorus of laughter. He doubled over and clutched his stomach as if trying to keep himself from falling apart.

"Aright, if you guys don't tell us what's going on, right now…"

"U-um…w-well…the thing is, wh-,"

"I've been replaced," Virgil stated simply as he took another bite of his…macaroni and cheese. Everyone at the table, including Richie, turned their attention to him with a confused glare. The dark-skinned teen shrugged nonchalantly as he swallowed.

"Richie found a new best friend," he said as he smiled at Richie. Of course he was just joking, but it was too fun messing around with the people around him. Even heroes need hobbies. The girls snapped their heads back at Richie with wide eyes and gaping mouths. The genius bang baby blushed slightly as he looked down at the table.

"Well?"

"Who is it?"

The blush on his pale cheeks darkened profusely as he realized he'd have to answer sooner or later.

"Francis," he mumbled beneath his breath.

"What? Speak louder Richie."

"Francis," he reiterated, this time loud enough for the two girls to hear. They looked at each other confused before looking back at the blond.

"Who the heck is Francis?"

At that question, Virgil was back to his previous state of laughing hysterically as he fell from his seat and landed on the ground. The three friends rolled their eyes as they pointedly ignored him.

"U-um…you may know him as…H-Hotstreak…"

It was silent for a minute. Daisy and Frieda didn't move an inch as they stared at Richie unblinkingly. The blond teen opted for going back to staring at the table and Virgil continued to roll around on the grassy ground.

"What?" Daisy and Frieda yelled simultaneously. Richie flinched as he figured he had a lot of explaining to do.

"He came up to me a couple of days ago and asked me if I wanted to hang out. I thought he was setting me up for something, but he seemed sincere enough, so I agreed…" the blond explained as he quickly went to work on poking at the crusty food in front of him with his fork. The two girls' eyes widened with anticipation. Their faces were practically oozing with curiosity. But Richie didn't seem to notice as he kept on uncharacteristically playing with his food.

"Uh…hello, Richie? There's got to be more than that. How it go? Was he rude? A jerk? Did he threaten to-"

The pale teenager's head snapped up at all the accusations.

"No! No! Nothing like that, really! We met at Burger fool and he was actually really decent. Nice even."

Frieda and Daisy turned their heads to each other. They seemed to have a silent conversation through eye contact. Richie couldn't help but feel a little creeped out every time they did that. It just wasn't natural. And he should know when things are natural or not. A dark handed stretched out onto the table and Richie turned to see Virgil finally calmed down enough to return to his seat at the table. The ebony still had traces of barely contained amusement on his face, but a quick glare from his best friend was enough to sustain him from commenting once again. Instead, Virgil joined his friend and partner in curiously watching the two girl at their table. They moved their eyes away from them and stared at each other, commencing their own little silent conversation without even knowing it.

'_These girls are weird.'_

* * *

"Hurry up, V!"

"I said I'm coming! I'm not Flash!" Virgil yelled as he struggled to stuff his backpack with the multiple homework assignments given to him last period. With a swift punch, the multiple papers were cramped inside the small space he had available between his textbooks. The teen zipped it closed and swung it over his shoulder before speeding off towards his blond friend who was currently bouncing from foot to foot impatiently in front of the school.

"Finally," Richie mumbled as he began quick pace down their usual route to their houses. Virgil raised an eyebrow as he struggled to keep up. The blond had both hands on the backpack straps as his blue eyes never moved away from the area in front of him. The ebony teen a foot behind him shrugged his shoulders confusedly and stretched his arms over his head. His dark brown irises wandered upwards and he groaned overdramatically. The sky was once again littered with thick, puffy, grey clouds. They seemed to be moving quickly, and Virgil suspected it'd start storming again soon. His bad mood dropped even lower when he felt a fat drop of rain hit his cheek. Virgil inwardly seethed. He used to love the rain, but ever since he got his powers, he can't stand it.

"Francis? What are you doing here?"

Virgil's attention snapped forward once again and his eyes narrowed before they even landed on the muscular redhead holding an umbrella. The redhead grinned at Richie and Virgil just couldn't help but to roll his eyes at the gesture.

"Well, I saw the forecast for the day and saw it was supposed to storm again. I knew you walked home, so I thought I'd bring an umbrella so you wouldn't get completely soaked," the ex-convict informed sheepishly.

Richie seemed confused. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a bright flash of lightning illuminated the sky right before a loud clap of thunder bore into his ears. As if on cue a shower of heavy raindrops fell from the sky. The blond squealed as the cold water that had seemingly come from nowhere touched the warm skin of his neck. Francis chuckled as he brought the umbrella away from his body and over the bespectacled teen's.

"Wait, no! What about you? You hate getting wet," Richie argued as he attempted to push the redhead's hand away from him, but Francis wouldn't budge.

"Stop worrying over me. I'm a grown man; I can take care of myself."

"But what about your powers? You said you can-"

"We're not exactly in any danger. I think I'll be alright," Francis explained.

"Well, you're going to get sick and I don't want you going to the hospital because of me."

Francis' face dropped and his body tensed. His eyes acquired a strange glossy look. Richie's heartbeat sped up. What did he say? What does he do? What's wrong? The blond turned back and gasped when he didn't see Virgil standing right behind him. He sighed. This whole thing between V and Francis wasn't going to go away easily. After all, Richie wasn't the bang baby's only victim of abuse. He turned back to the redhead to see he was soaked. He frowned.

"Oh, come on. It's not that small of an umbrella," Richie grumbled as he grabbed the other by the bicep and pulled him under the umbrella with him. The pyromaniac was pulled out of his thoughts by the firm grip on his arm. His cheeks flushed slightly at the feeling of the smaller's lithe body pressing up against the side of his own, more muscular one as they walked together through the rain.

* * *

**Alright there it is. Sorry if it sucked after like…a year. But like I said, I'm finishing this. But I'm also writing two other stories right now so update might be late. Obviously not as late as…well…you know. Oh, and if you want to track my progress, go ahead and follow me on twitter. I'm Gohanrules1 and you can start a conversation any time you feel like it. And even though I doubt it, if any of you are into Big Time Rush, Twilight, Glee, or Kingdom Hearts, you should check out my other stories. Well, bye again. And don't forget to review to tell me how bad I messed up. Heheh…I hope you at least enjoyed this a little bit.**

**-Gohanrules out!**


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